4 months ago
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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has surpassed Devaraj Urs’s grounds arsenic Karnataka’s longest-serving Chief Minister, appears to person spent a just duration of his tenure confronting the Centre connected on assorted fronts.
Except for his archetypal twelvemonth successful bureau (2013–14), the remainder of his word coincided with the NDA authorities led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the beingness of rival parties successful powerfulness astatine the State and Centre appears to beryllium a large root of friction.
In the latest instance, the Siddaramaiah-led authorities has launched an onslaught implicit the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted during the UPA-I authorities successful 2005. The Congress has demanded the repeal of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) and called for the restoration of MGNREGA’s archetypal right-to-work provisions for 71.18 lakh workers, including 36.75 lakh agrarian women successful Karnataka.
The authorities besides decided to convene a peculiar league of the legislature to statement the merits of the aged and caller schemes.
Public debate
Taking it further, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has challenged Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to a nationalist statement connected MGNREGA and the VB-G RAM G scheme, aft Mr. Joshi alleged corruption worthy ₹11 lakh crore successful the strategy during the UPA era. The Congress has besides announced a week-long padayatra crossed each levels of the State administration, opening connected Republic Day (January 26).
The Chief Minister has accused the NDA authorities of weakening the panchayat strategy by curtailing the powers of agrarian section bodies to place and allocate work, and of efficaciously depriving labourers of their close to employment.
Holding the Finance portfolio arsenic well, Mr. Siddaramaiah stated that the caller Act would enforce an further load of ₹3,000 crore annually connected Karnataka by reducing the Centre’s publication from 90% to 60%. He formally conveyed his absorption to the authorities successful a missive to Prime Minister Modi connected December 31, 2025.
Earlier cases
Earlier, the Congress authorities had accused the Centre of “gross injustice” to Karnataka successful matters specified arsenic taxation devolution, grant-in-aid, non-release of drought alleviation funds, and denial of approvals for h2o assets projects. In 2024, the Chief Minister, on with Ministers, MLAs, and MPs, staged a protestation successful Delhi nether the banner “My Tax, My Right”.
Mr. Siddaramaiah has repeatedly argued that Karnataka’s taxation stock should person accrued successful enactment with the doubling of the Union Budget from ₹23 lakh crore successful 2014 to ₹50 lakh crore successful 2025. Instead, the State has continued to person astir ₹50,000 crore annually. He claimed that some the State’s taxation stock and Central grants person steadily declined implicit the past decade.
Finance Commission
Mr. Siddramaiah besides pointed retired that Karnataka’s stock fell from 4.71% nether the 14th Finance Commission to 3.64% nether the 15th Finance Commission, questioning the criteria utilized for money allocation. The authorities has often criticised the Centre’s “step-motherly” treatment, peculiarly for failing to merchandise ₹5,300 crore announced successful the 2023–24 Union Budget for the Upper Bhadra project.
Additionally, the Centre has delayed clearances for drinking h2o projects specified arsenic Kalasa Banduri Nala, Mekedatu, and the irrigation task of the Upper Krishna, citing assorted reasons. With fewer alternatives left, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues person made repeated visits to Delhi to taxable memorandums seeking approvals and funds.
